Miroslaw shrugged simply and stated, “I heard she would be a good partner for a protection job I have come across.” Miroslaw noticed the bartenders motion before his next question that thoroughly confused him. He would not turn to see what he was motioning to. Miroslaw relayed his confusion to the bartender, “Rats? Not sure what you are speaking of. Should I be?” His face showed how confused he truly was. He tried to remain calm, wondering what the bartender may be motioning over, but refusing to look.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
::As engrossed in her own thoughts as she was, she almost missed the signal Stanley made.
She leaned back in her chair, trying to "act casual" so as not to draw attention to herself while she looked over the man standing at the bar.
He didn't look like he belonged with the ratman that had come looking for her recently, and that brought some relief. She relaxed a bit as she rose to approach. The man appeared to be a fighter. Perhaps a guard for someone? She would have thought him a bandit were it not for him very open about being here and most of those kind tend to avoid public places.
Trying not to look at him with more than a passing glance, she slipped onto a stool at the bar and motioned for a drink, her ears twitching as she tried to listen to what was being said that had caused Stanley to get her attention...::
Stanley chuckled a bit, "We had a bit of trouble here the other night with some of those rat folk wanting to cross our Neko here."
He began to fix Neko a drink while continuing to talk to Miroslaw, "Though too bad for them, she ain't as fragile as she looks. She took down a great troll all by herself on a job a couple weeks back. Damn thing never stood a chance so I heard."
Stanley slid the drink over to Neko, "There you are, this gentlemen right here wanted to bring you on a job."
Miroslaw gave a slight wave to the character at the bar he now knew as Neko. He responded to the barkeep despite it feeling strange to compliment the person who actually sat nearby, “I see... I keep hearing good things about her.” Miroslaw chuckled at the bartenders words.
He really was not happy to hear even more about Neko's feats of strength and finesse. He was amazed that such a frail looking character took down a troll all by her lonesome. Now he knew he had best not cross her by himself.
Miroslaw flipped his hood back as he turns to towards the Neko. “So you are the famed Neko, huh? Its a pleasure to meet you.” He extends his hand for a polite shake.
He felt very nervous about the potential of being caught in the scheme. As a result, he actually became more sociable. It was his way of attempting to appear normal.
He gets straight to the point, “I have come across a job, and got your name as someone who could assist me. Its a simple sounding protection job, but I prefer to be safe than sorry. The pay is six hundred gold and I am willing to split it fifty fifty. ”
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
::Her cheeks would be a bright red, were they able to be seen beneath the fur that covered them. It was bad enough to hear a stranger talk about her so, but to hear Stanley speak of her in such as way was almost too much. If it wasn't for the fact that they were already looking at her, she would have pulled her hood up and try and try not to die from embarassment.
She hoped that perhaps the bartender was just laying it on thick in the hopes of helping her get better pay, but something in his voice told her otherwise...
She gulped down her water to give herself time to collect her thoughts. A protection job? Not the worst work out there, but she would need to know who she was protecting exactly. She wanted to know who she would be aligning with before she commited.
Her pounding heart now slowed, and replaced by silent hiccups from drinking too fast, she turned on her stool and looked up to the man beside her with a questioning look. She made a twirling motion with the fingers of one hand held horizontally, in a clear sign to say "go on..."
Miroslaw understood the motion, but found it odd that she was not talking. He had to think of more information for the job without looking like he was making it up. He had given it brief though while walking to the tavern. The bit of preparation eased his mind at least a bit.
He shrugged and began, “Guards for a merchant on his travels. He is going to trade in a town out west. Journey shouldn’t take more than a couple days. As I understand, the merchant isn’t coming back. Don't need to wait for him. He wants to leave tomorrow morning, so plenty of time to prepare.” He was relieved by how well he gave the information. He did better than he expected and it seemed believable, even to him.
He paused for a moment before asking, “Anything specific you want to know?”
The more he looked at the girl, the more he wondered what she had done to cross the Captain. What he was doing almost felt ... wrong. He pushed the worry out of his mind. A job is a job no matter how you slice it.
Last Edit: Jan 31, 2014 13:55:19 GMT -5 by Miroslaw
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
Protecting a merchant? Seemed easy enough, and she wouldn't even have to stay to escort him back. So she would not be gone from home long...
She looked up again into the face of the man before her and shook her head in response to his question. She was sure she would be able to pick up on any details she needed as the job progressed. Sure she could use her Magick, or her bracer to aide in asking what few questions she had, but she was not one to trust strangers with her things, or her secrets, right off the bat.
She extended her hand to shake on the deal with a...
The moments of Neko's contemplation were excruciating. It felt like much longer than it truly was. Miroslaw was about to die from the suspense as the girl extended her hand towards him. He returned the smile and lightly grasps Neko's hand for a moment, "Great to have you along. Now I can rest easy!" He chuckles. He retracted his hand and says, "So, tomorrow, at the west gate, at sunrise."
He decided if he left immediately, it may seem strange, so he ordered an ale. He attempts to make a bit of conversation, "So, you slayed a troll all on your own, eh? Quite the feat." He was pretty relaxed at this point. He already got her on board.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
::She order another flagon of water, in the hopes that it would help rid her of the...
hiccup...
...hiccups.
She answered the stranger's question with a shrug, then a nod as a hand went up to play with a necklace she wore that had a few odd looking beads on it.
In truth, she had her doubts she would have survived the encounter had it not been for the the others battling as well. That and the help of this necklace. A gift from Tauer before he had disappeared.
She gave out a sad sigh at the memory of her friend brought forward in her mind once more and she tried to hide it behind another...
hiccup...
...drink.::
My first thought was, he lied in every word, That hoary cripple, with malicious eye Askance to watch the workings of his lie On mine, and mouth scarce able to afford Suppression of the glee, that pursed and scored Its edge, at one more victim gained thereby.
Miroslaw was bothered by the lack of talking at this point. She had not said a word this entire encounter! He wondered if her voice was really strange or something. There had to be a reason she was avoiding saying anything. He also found her body convulsions to be quite strange.
He simple said, "Woman of few words, huh?" The irritation did not show in his voice.
As the ale arrived, he took a few gulps. A refreshing sigh came forth as he pulled it from his mouth. Nothing like a good ale.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
Miroslaw watched as Neko made her motions. He held a blank stare for a moment afterward, searching his mind for what that meant. It took him a moment before it finally came to him. His cheeks turned blood red upon realizing how rude he had been, visible even through his sizable face fungus. “Excuse my rudeness... You are unable to talk...” Miroslaw found himself finishing the ale. It was quite refreshing.
A mute... That just made her seem more innocent than Miroslaw already thought. What could she have taken that was so important? He found himself silently hoping she would realize what was going down, if only for an instant. He tried to push the feelings to the back of his mind. It was a job, nothing more. He would do whatever it took for a job. He held little as far as moral obligations went. Yet, he still couldn’t help but feel bad for leading this poor wordless girl to a trap.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
::Her face lit up with a smile that touched her eyes as Miroslaw figured out what she was trying to say.
She tapped the tip of her nose with her finger and pointed it towards him. He had got it right on the nose...
She felt no shame for her limitation. She had lived with it all her life, so she knew no other way. There were only passing moments of frustration with it when it hampered her dealings with others. This man seemed bright enough to keep up with her tho.
And who knows, after a trip together they may become friends. A little bit of trust at least, to maybe feel ok about sharing her bracer, or her Magick with him...
Having finished her water, she slipped down from the stool and waved goodbye to Stanley and the stranger as she made for the door. If she was going to be leaving town tomorrow, she needed to get her things ready.::
Miroslaw took another extended moment, but he managed to pick up the “Right on the nose” ploy. He chuckled at the silliness, but utility of it. He finished off his beer right as Neko got up to take her leave. He responded to the wave with, “See you tomorrow morning” in a friendly tone.
He now felt completely horrible about trying to trick this girl. She seemed too nice to have done anything wrong without reason. He found it difficult to push the troubling thoughts back. He attributed it to simply having just met her. He was never a very good judge of character and perhaps she wasn't what she seemed. He contemplated talking to the bartender more about her, but decided it would be best not to know.
He stood from the bar giving his thanks to the bartender before heading to the exit. He still had to get back to the captain to give him the good news. He took a very strange way back making a few circles and making some strange stops at various places. He knew if Neko intended to shadow him, he probably wouldn't have been able to figure out she was. It was his “just in case” idea he came up with. Finally he made his way to the Mercenary boat. He went directly to the captain's room to report the news.
Death is no more than turning us over from time to eternity. Whether that eternity is damnation or salvation is determined in the time we have.
Grayson happened to be on deck when Miroslaw returned, "Back so soon? I presume things went smooth?"
The Captain motioned for the warrior to follow him to his cabin, "The rest of you have jobs, get to it." The deck sounded with an 'aye aye' and several armed Sellswords left the ship.
Grayson let Miroslaw into his office before shutting the door behind them, "Alright, so tell me, how'd it go?"